Johnny Gamboa has loved numbers since early childhood; despite his only 42 years of age, he has worked as an accountant for more than 25 of those years. This professional from San Isidro del General had his first customers at the age of 17, but he also applies his knowledge and experience of accounting to his personal life. “I learned that you can incorporate the credito verde (green credit) with home financing. The credito verde is a loan with a lower interest rate than other loans, aiming to promote more efficient use of natural resources and energy – for example, solar panels” he explains, with a presence of mind inherent to his profession. “Since I have a housing loan from the Banco de Costa Rica, I decided to apply for a green credit loan here too, but I think the Banco Nacional, the Banco Popular and BAC San José offer the crédito verde with similar conditions.”

Lower ICE bills and reduced monthly housing payment

“I wanted to reduce my electricity bill that was totaling about 25000 colones a month; nowadays with the ICE Plan Piloto, the cost of solar installations has plummeted as batteries are no longer necessary, so I decided the time was right. The solar panels were installed three months ago and shortly after, the ICE connected the system to the grid. My first bill showed a significant decrease and now I’m just paying the minimum.” But Johnny Gamboa is not only saving by reducing his electricity bill; he also pays less each month on his housing loan. Green credit offers a lower rate of interest that is also applied to housing loans. So he is winning at two levels; the ICE bill cut to a minimum and reduced interest rates on his housing repayment.